Do personal milestones matter?

There is not much I recall from my college days – likely due to consuming one too many mood altering pharmaceuticals – but I still picture Professor Linton, Dean of?George Washington University’s Columbia College, standing, in sharp relief at the podium, the guest speaker at a luncheon honoring 24 newly minted members of?Phi Beta Kappa:

“Be proud of earning membership in this prestigious society, but be sure this is not the last such accolade you achieve during your lifetime.”

Does anyone even recall?PBK?as a?highly selective honor society,?where being rewarded with membership was a notable, pride-inducing achievement? Some readers might, but many of you likely know little or nothing about this, nor should you.

In the time since that luncheon, I confess other accolades and matters noteworthy managed to elude me – I did have a?poem selected?by?Poetry, an achievement and prestige moment of sorts – but then I received this from?Richard Narramore,?my editor at?John Wiley & Sons:

“Robert, I’m delighted to report that by the end of October THE ART OF CLIENT SERVICE 3d edition will have crossed the 20,000 copy sales mark. That’s quite an accomplishment. Congratulations!”

I thought this might be a good thing, but asked for a little context; Richard wrote back:

“I would guess roughly 90% of business books sell fewer than 20,000 copies. It’s an accomplishment!”

Richard no doubt would prefer to append another zero to the number of books sold – as would I, of course – but I’m guessing he is (sort of) pleased. Add the sale of nearly 50,000 copies for the previous two editions and I find myself imagining thousands of readers, most of them satisfied with their purchase, with a few of these turning to the book for on-going counsel.

Collectively this does begin to resemble something of a personal milestone, but does an achievement like this matter, important to recognize in some way?

This morning I read a?New York Times?story?by Lynn Seger Strong, where she said,

“Most books don’t succeed either in terms of sales or critical unanimity. Most writers don’t earn a living wage from their writing.”

True that.?I also learned that last year Americans read an average of just 13 books, confirming what I’ve long thought:?some books, like careers, never succeed; others are shooting stars blessed by a meteoric rise followed by a precipitous drop, soon forgotten.?

The survivors??They continue on, marked by a consistency of purpose and utility that confers longevity.?Nearly twenty years in and counting,?The Art of?Client Service?is among this legacy group.

I remember how it felt, many years ago, to receive a letter in the mail – yes, we still mailed letters then – informing me I had been selected as a?PBK?member:?it felt f-ing awesome.?A memory held close, it is a validation more of dedication and discipline than intellect or talent.

Years later, what mattered then matters less now, suggesting, to me at least,?The Art of Client Service, is, in fact, the true milestone worthy of acknowledgment, much more deserving than an honor earned long ago.???